Although he told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Saturday that he planned to make a decision Sunday night, Houshmandzadeh apparently needed more time and wanted to speak to his wife, Kaci.

According to several people close to the situation, Houshmandzadeh had a positive visit with the Vikings, including plenty of time with head coach Brad Childress.

Yet the more important connection could be between McGuire and Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings' chief contract negotiator.

Determining a market value for Houshmandzadeh, an eight-year NFL veteran with the Bengals, is somewhat complex.

Houshmandzadeh is durable (he has missed only five games in the past five seasons), productive (an average of 93 catches for 1,021 yards and eight touchdowns over the past four seasons) and a positive influence (quietly considered one of the Bengals' more dependable leaders). The strike against him is his age: Houshmandzadeh turns 32 on Sept.

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It is unknown what contract terms Houshmandzadeh and McGuire are pursuing. But two receivers older than him, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss, have received sizeable contracts that over the first three years of the deals average $9 million a season.

Both Owens and Moss had better seasons than Houshmandzadeh. But Bengals Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer played in only four games, and his replacement in Cincinnati, unlike Moss' in New England, was largely unproductive.

Moss was guaranteed $15 million, while Owens was guaranteed $13 million in their deals.

If that's not complicated enough, Houshmandzadeh may have to settle for a contract that is inferior to that of Bernard Berrian, who was guaranteed $16 million last year from the Vikings.

Berrian, 28, has never been a Pro Bowl player, and has never topped 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Houshmandzadeh went to the Pro Bowl after the 2007 season, following his second 1,000-yard season.

The market for Houshmandzadeh is also unclear. The first team to bring him in, the Philadelphia Eagles, is no longer interested, and it is unclear whether the Seattle Seahawks still are in the running. But the Vikings and Bengals are certainly hoping to sign Houshmandzadeh.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were rumored to be interested, but there have been no indications he is planning a trip to Florida.

Given his frustration at not winning more in Cincinnati (he has appeared in only one playoff game), Houshmandzadeh knows that the Vikings have playoff potential; after to winning the NFC North last season, the Vikings return most of their starters and boast one of the league's top defenses and run offenses.